Not Easily Broken: Trauma Bonds and the Road to Healing

August 8, 2022

In recent years, the mental health community has focused on understanding a phenomenon known as trauma bonds. The interest in these bonds is mostly due to our efforts to better understand and treat interpersonal violence victims, such as domestic violence and human trafficking. Although it was challenging to find sufficient information on trauma bonds until recently, the term was first used in the late 1980s by addiction therapy expert, Dr. Patrick Carnes, to describe how abuse, fear, and excitement (typically connected to sexual attraction) can lead to a destructive attachment.1

“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally, he will cause justice to be victorious.”

– Matthew 12:20 (NLT)

A trauma bond is a powerful emotional connection between an abuser and victim developed and strengthened by repeated traumatic events. These bonds are an adaptive response to extreme distress and tend to occur when all other coping attempts have been exhausted. Therefore, they are a type of defense mechanism with strong connections to attachment theory and learned helplessness. A trauma bond can be understood as an exploitive attachment wrapped with confusion and topped off with trauma and despair.

Trauma bonds develop when cycles of intense love are followed by abuse that produces an almost unbreakable attachment.2 Bonding begins when an abuser identifies and meets a victim’s needs while professing love for that person. Those recognized needs are exploited in order to gain control of the targeted victim. Common vulnerabilities include security, family, being desirable, and belonging. This process is sometimes referred to as “love-bombing” due to the intense and continuous pursuit of the victim.

The next stage begins with the abuser—confident of the attachment—finding fault with the victim and then threatening to withdraw affection. The victim is repeatedly devalued, and gaslighting (psychological manipulation) is introduced that causes the target to doubt his or her judgment, perception, and even memory. Then, the victim works to please the abuser to restore the relationship. Abusers will alternate their responses with either cruelty or affection. The randomness of these extremes creates a powerful dynamic for bonding to develop. The abuser’s cycle includes a combination of reward and punishment and appreciation and degradation, all of which promotes the development of trauma bonds. Thus, the stronger the attachment to the abuser, the more control rendered over the victim, creating an obsession with pleasing the abuser. Paradoxically, victims often experience a deeper bond with their abusers than with those who treat them well.

“He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.”

– Psalm 91:4-6, ESV

Abusers create a never-ending series of exploitive hoops for victims to jump through to earn their affection.3 These hoops escalate the victim’s need for security in the relationship, and once the emotional pain becomes intolerable, the abuser offers affection, thereby becoming the savior. The greater the pain, cruelty, or trauma, the deeper the bond. The abuser is the source of the victim’s pain and yet the only one who can relieve that pain.4

Churches’ Freedom Affirmed Again by Federal Court

Tom Strode

August 8, 2022

CHICAGO (BP) – The freedom of churches and other religious organizations to make employment decisions based on their beliefs has again gained support in the federal court system.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago dismissed July 28 a former guidance counselor’s lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and a Catholic high school. Roncalli High School had refused to renew Lynn Starkey’s contract after she admitted being in a same-sex marriage in violation of Catholic doctrine.

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court ruled the “ministerial exception” based on the First Amendment’s religion clauses protects the right of the archdiocese and the school to decide who will fulfill their religious mission. The First Amendment prohibits government establishment of religion and guarantees the free exercise of religion.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), which signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the archdiocese and school, commended the opinion.

“Once again, the courts have affirmed that religious organizations, without government interference, have the right to recruit and employ individuals who hold to the beliefs and practices of the faith,” said Hannah Daniel, the ERLC’s policy manager.

“This decision fortifies this core right for faith-based employers like churches and strengthens their ability to faithfully carry out their purpose and mission without compromising their religious beliefs,” she told Baptist Press in written comments.

Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at the religious liberty organization Becket, said the Seventh Circuit’s ruling “ensures that religious schools can remain faithful to their mission.”

“Our justice system has consistently ruled that the government cannot intrude on a religious organization’s choice of who will pass on the faith to the next generation,” he said in a written statement.

The Seventh Circuit decision followed two U.S. Supreme Court opinions and multiple federal appeals court rulings affirming the “ministerial exception.”

In 2012, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled a “ministerial exception” exists that enables churches and other religious groups to hire and fire based on their beliefs. That opinion, which protected churches from government interference in their “internal governance,” came in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The justices affirmed the Hosanna-Tabor decision in 2020 in a 7-2 ruling in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru.

In her suit, Starkey – who had served in various roles, most recently as co-director of guidance and a member of the school’s administrative council – contended she “should not be considered a minister because she never engaged in religious matters or held a formal religious title,” Judge Michael Brennan wrote in the Seventh Circuit opinion.

Papa Johns ‘Lost Its Way’ Because of Losing Conservative Values Focused on ‘Truth and God,’ Says Former CEO

Jessica Mouser

August 8, 2022

John Scnatter speaks at CPAC, which took place in Dallas, Texas, Aug. 4-7, 2022. Screenshot / @Right Side Broadcasting Network

Papa Johns is declining in quality, customers and income due to a loss of conservative values, key elements of which are “truth and God,” said the company’s founder and former CEO John Schnatter in an interview Thursday.

“We built the whole company on conservative values,” said Schnatter, who remains a shareholder with Papa Johns. “The conservative ideology has two of the most critical attributes: truth and God.” Schnatter says that since his exit from the company, “They’re losing traffic, they’re losing customers” and the quality of the pizza is “down with Little Caesar’s.”

John Schnatter’s Interview at Dallas CPAC

John Schnatter made his comments in an interview with Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, this past weekend. Schnatter has been at the center of controversy in recent years, a topic he addressed in the interview, where he framed himself as a victim of “cancel culture.”

According to his website, Schnatter started Papa Johns in 1984 from a broom closet in his father’s bar. In 2010, the successful pizza company partnered with the NFL to become the league’s official pizza sponsor. But in 2017, Schnatter made comments in a conference call that seemed to blame poor company sales on the NFL’s response to players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.

Papa Johns and the NFL ended their partnership several months later. Schnatter stepped down as CEO, although he continued as chairman of the board until 2018, when controversy erupted again after Schnatter used the n-word in a conference call. Schnatter says he only used the word in the context of explaining that he never uses it and is not racist, while critics say the fact he used the word at all reveals racism. Schnatter resigned from the board and was taken out of all Papa Johns marketing.

“Cancel culture’s very dangerous,” he told RSBN. “Papa Johns [under Schnatter’s leadership] debunked every single element of the Left’s ideology, so unbeknownst to me, I had a giant target on my back, just by being the American dream.” Employees used to say the Pledge of Allegiance before meetings, he said. “We ran our business on principles. We had the highest quality, we had the best service, we had the best culture.”

Now, Schnatter says, “I think they lost their way.”

Schnatter told RSBN he was concerned about how the “evil” Left is targeting American youth. He did not give detailed examples of how young people are being attacked, but mentioned critical race theory, entitlement, vaccines, meth and sex trafficking among his concerns. He also said that the “five folks who own everything” want to create a global economy. If they “destroy our youth, then we may be desperate enough and disarrayed that we join a global economy and we lose our freedom and we lose our individual property rights.”

These five powerful people (Schnatter mentioned “Gates,” who is presumably Bill Gates) want to be God, said Schnatter, “so what’s the closest thing to God? An embryo, a child. So they’re after our youth. And they’re trying to steal the American dream.”

SBC President Bart Barber Names Abuse Task Force Members

Scott Barkley

August 8, 2022

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to include the language of an amendment to the SATF recommendations passed by the messengers at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber has announced the members and leaders of those making up the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF).

Messengers to the annual meeting in Anaheim tasked Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas, with the responsibility as part of the approved recommendations from the Sexual Abuse Task Force, chaired by North Carolina pastor Bruce Frank. The recommendations were the result of a yearlong study and investigation by Guidepost Solutions into the SBC Executive Committee.

“The purpose of this task force is to assist the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention in our efforts to shut the doors of our churches to those who would act as sexual predators and to wrap our arms around survivors and those who love them,” Barber said.

In addition to the formation of the ARITF, the recommendations included the establishment of a “Ministry Check” website. The ARITF will oversee and report back to the Convention on the feasibility, effectiveness and costs of the website, which will be established and maintained by an independent contractor chosen by the task force.

Marshall Blalock, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Charleston, S.C., will serve as ARITF chair and Mike Keahbone, pastor of First Baptist Church in Lawton, Okla., will be vice chair. Others making up the task force are:

Todd Benkert, pastor and lead elder of Oak Creek Community Church in Mishawaka, Ind.
Melissa Bowen, member of First Baptist Church in Prattville, Ala.
Brad Eubank, senior pastor of Petal First Baptist Church in Petal, Miss.
Cyndi Lott, member of Catawba Valley Baptist Church in Morganton, N.C.
Jon Nelson, lead pastor of Soma Community Church in Jefferson City, Mo.
Jarrett Stephens, senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas
Gregory Wills, member of Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as professor of church history and Baptist heritage and dean of the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“These task force members will be assisted in their work by a few consultants, whose names will be released later,” said Barber. He added that the consulting group would include survivors of clergy sexual abuse, pastors, lawyers, educators and one person who was the object of a false accusation of sexual abuse in the past.

“Every member of the task force is an active member of a Southern Baptist church, representing a wide variety of church sizes from several geographic areas within the Convention,” he said. “Some of the members are also providing leadership to task forces serving their various state conventions.

“Between the task force members and the various consultants, the task force discussions will feature the input of top experts in the subject matters of sexual abuse, the law, Southern Baptist history and polity, trauma-informed counseling and most importantly, the Bible.”

Per the recommendations, the ARITF is authorized to operate for one year, with messengers at subsequent annual meetings voting on whether to renew the group “as needed” and deliver a report each year of its existence. Barber will appoint any vacancies at the time as necessary.

Specific charges of the ARITF include:

Study best practices in keeping with Southern Baptist church polity for feasibility and report back to the 2023 annual meeting on which reforms could be adopted by the Convention as well as how they should be implemented. Such recommendations include a survivor care fund, memorial, auditing the Caring Well curriculum and possibly creating a permanent committee or entity.
Assist SBC entities in studying Guidepost recommendations and advise on implementing reforms relevant to each entity’s ministry assignment.
Be a resource in abuse prevention, crisis response and survivor care to “Baptist bodies” who voluntarily seek assistance. This can include providing a list of recommended, independent, qualified firms for training and inquiries and assisting state conventions with recommendations, upon request.
Consult with the SBC Credentials Committee for revising the evaluation and submission process to include complaints of noncooperation due to sexual abuse and publish the revisions.
Work with the Executive Committee and Credentials Committee to select an independent, qualified firm or firms to assist the Credentials Committee by providing factual findings for complaints of noncooperation due to sexual abuse. The ARITF will report back to the 2023 annual meeting on the selection.

Kansas City Royals Pitcher Luke Weaver Wears ‘Bible Glove’ He Helped Design

Jesse T. Jackson

August 8, 2022

Seven-year Major League Baseball veteran Luke Weaver was acquired by the Kansas City Royals last week after being traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks for third baseman Emmanuel Rivera.

Weaver, known for his nearly 100 mph fastball, co-designed a faith inspired Bible glove released by Absolutely Ridiculous Innovation for Athletes (also known as The Aria Collective).

The glove has the words “His Glory” stamped in gold lettering on the index finger and displays an image of a crown of thorns in the palm.

Three Bible verses that are very personal to Weaver line the insides of the fingers: Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible;” Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength;” and 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

Weaver shared that he desired to put Christian imagery on his glove, and with the help of co-designer X, his dream became a reality.

“The Bible glove takes it to another level,” Weaver said. “I’m out there wearing it with me. I can feel His presence. There is Scripture in it, but it just feels like a whole other level. It feels like I’m out there ready to defend against any type of thoughts that come to try to destroy me out there—like my weapon is the Bible. It’s not going to back down.”

The glove’s design was inspired by the look of the spine of many Bibles. It was purposely designed to tell a story that impacts those who see it.

“We get to shine light on who we are, and people don’t even have to ask the questions…Any time you look in and understand what the glove symbolizes, it opens up that tension and it releases, and you understand why you play this game and the fun that it can bring,” Weaver said.

The first round draft pick explained that he likes to push the envelope when it comes to being creative and fun, but that this design is also reserved, “where people notice but don’t really need to talk about it.”

In an interview with Sports Spectrum, Weaver said the glove is “just a way where I want to be able to show the world that in the midst of that battle and the competition and the personality and expression, this is what I choose to do. In doing this, I hope more kids can wear a glove like I’m wearing and to wear it in their travel ball and their Little Leagues and their high schools and their colleges, to one day just be like, ‘Hey, I’m using a glove that helps me play this game, but I’m also expressing who I am and I love every second of it.’ If someone wants to ask about it, guess what: Now we get to talk about it.”

Christian Leaders Express Outrage at Alex Stein Video from CPAC

Dale Chamberlain

August 8, 2022

alex stein CPAC — Screengrab via Twitter

A number of Christian leaders are expressing outrage at a viral video captured at the Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC) over the weekend, wherein BlazeTV contributor Alex Stein can be seen harassing senior reporter for Vice News Tess Owen, drawing a crowd of convention attendees who heckled Owen.

CPAC took place in Dallas, Texas, from August 4 to 7. The event’s speakers included former president Donald Trump, political commentators Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck, political strategist Steve Bannon, Senator Ted Cruz, Representatives Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz, and Papa John.

Stein, who is known for a previous viral video wherein he rapped about killing Russian president Vladimir Putin at a Plano, Texas, City Council meeting, filmed the video of himself and Owen and posted it to Twitter.

Stein also recently recorded and posted a video of himself sexually harassing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, catcalling her on the steps of the United States Capitol Building. In that video, Stein called Ocasio-Cortez his “favorite big booty Latina” and characterized her as “hot, hot, hot like a tamale.”

At CPAC, it is unclear whether Stein was intending to act as himself or play a character he calls “Primetime 99 Alex Stein.” In either case, many who have seen the video are calling Stein out for his aggressive behavior.

Stein Captures Himself Harassing Vice Reporter on Video

In the video, Stein can be seen approaching Owen and saying, “So this is the Vice reporter. You can tell—the only one in a mask here. So how are you doing?”

“Just doing my job,” Owen responded.

“She’s here trolling everybody here,” Stein said to the camera. “So, she’s the only one here in a mask, and she’s just saying negative stuff.”

“I can’t believe they let you in here,” Stein continued, turning back toward Owen. “Do you feel like you’re a sheep in the lion’s den?”

Owen expressed that she had press credentials for the event.

Stein continued to speak to the camera, “See, this is Vice, guys. This person, she’s trying to troll this event. She thinks all of you guys are losers. That’s what she posts on the internet.”

As Stein spoke, a crowd began to form, with bystanders laughing and jeering.

“She posts the most out of context stuff. See, Vice is the worst media company there is. They’re all liars,” Stein said, asking Owen what she thinks about her “crappy media company.”

Commenting that Vice News talks “about drugs,” Stein further asked Owen, “Are you a drug addict, too?”

Seeking to draw attention from others on the convention floor, Stein shouted, “This is Vice! She’s a loser! She’s the only one in a mask! This is what a loser looks like!” Stein went on to ask Owen how many COVID-19 vaccination shots she had received, a question Owen declined to answer.

As Owen sought to walk away, Stein followed her, shouting, “This is what a Vice journalist looks like, in her little mask at the conservative event! Now she’s scared; she’s getting attention!” The crowd followed the two, with a number of convention attendees capturing video of the exchange and laughing.

Roger Stone Raises Money for ‘God-Fearing Christian’ Alex Jones

Stephanie Martin

August 8, 2022

After a Texas jury last week ordered “Infowars” host Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in damages to Sandy Hook parents, fellow conservative Roger Stone began raising money for him. Stone, a Trump adviser who received a pardon from the former president, recorded a video asking people to assist Jones, calling him “a good and decent man.” Stone added, “He is a God-fearing Christian, he’s done more for this movement than perhaps anyone you could possibly name, and, right now, he needs our support.”

Jones, a conspiracy theorist, had claimed the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax staged by “crisis actors.” This is the first of three trials he faces as a result. Parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son was among 26 people killed at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, are the plaintiffs in this lawsuit.

Alex Jones Says He’s Being ‘Silenced’

Last week, a Texas jury ordered Alex Jones to pay Heslin and Lewis $45.2 million in punitive damages and $4.1 million in compensatory damages. Lawyers for the parents had urged the jury to stop Jones’ “monetization of misinformation and lies.” Heslin and Lewis were “thrilled with the result and look forward to putting Mr. Jones’ money to good use,” their lawyers added.

In response, Jones said he’s being “silenced” by a “kangaroo court”—during “very dark times for our republic.” Supporters are praying for him, he adds, and he is “honored” to be attacked by people who “hate America.”

Stone, in his video plea, says, “There’s a place at the Infowars store where you can go just to make a contribution. If you’re not in the market for a book, or one of [Jones’] great products, there’s a link you can just send a contribution.”

During his testimony last week, Jones admitted the Sandy Hook shooting was “100 percent real” and apologized to parents. He also learned that his lawyer, Federico Reynal, had accidentally sent massive amounts of data from Jones’ phone to opposing counsel. Upon discovering the mistake, Reynal requested a mistrial, which the judge denied.

The leaked data includes every text Jones sent for the past two years, as well as confidential legal documents. As a result, plaintiff’s attorney Mark Bankston told Jones in court, “I know you lied to me when you said you didn’t have text messages about Sandy Hook.”

Jones, who says a huge verdict will “sink” his show, reportedly earns up to $800,000 per day, according to the leak. During last week’s trial, his company Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy.

Pastors of Very Small Churches Express Joy, Commitment, Challenges

Diana Chandler

August 8, 2022

small churches — Pastor Charlie Vaughn and his wife Kathie converted the basement office of Austin Baptist Church into an apartment and lived there the first eight years he pastored the church. (Submitted photo)

AUSTIN, Nev. (BP) — Pastor Charlie Vaughn and his wife Kathie were trying to fix a church member’s washing machine midday Aug. 4. He’s not a washer repairman, but since 2008 has pastored Austin Baptist Church of about 12 worshipers in Austin, Nev.

Yomba Baptist Church, his second pastorate about 40 miles south on a Shoshone Indian reservation, has three worshipers.

“There are many pastors here in this state who serve in a church, some smaller than Austin, but do so faithfully as that is where God has placed them to do His work,” Vaughn said. “Praise the Lord for that.”

Cornell Denson Sr., pastor of Walk By Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Gainesville, Fla., drove a group of his 17 members in the church van to Orlando to the 2022 Black Multicultural State Church Fellowship of the Florida Baptist Convention, convening through Aug. 6 at Rosen Shingle Creek.

As Denson is focused on the Great Commission, the church bought a van to help neighborhood families attend church.

“And it’s been working,” he said. “We’ve been having two extra (in attendance), three extra, something like that.”

Joshua Goepfrich in Warsaw, Ind., pastor of the 18-member Hilltop Community Church and president of the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana, fields a question often.

“People ask you questions like how large is your church, and sometimes as men we feel that is an attack on us,” Goepfrich told Baptist Press. “And the simple answer to that question is the church that I belong to, has millions of members. Growth is not about the local church. It’s about the walk with God.

“As we walk, we invite people onto the journey. My job is not to save people. Your job is to present the Gospel,” Goepfrich tells pastors. “God has not called you to build His church; He’s called you to be faithful to the ministry. You stay faithful. Let Him deal with the results. And that’s hard to live in.”

Vaughn, Denson and Goepfrich are among the majority of Southern Baptist pastors, the approximately 51 percent that report Sunday attendance of less than 50, according to statistics compiled by the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network. A quarter of Southern Baptist churches serve less than 24 on Sundays.

Vatican Economy Czar: ‘The Pope’s Mission Is Underfunded’

Claire Giangrave

August 8, 2022

vatican financial — Statues on Bernini's colonnade at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Photo by Marco Verch/Creative Commons

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The Catholic Church’s financial chief warned in an interview on Friday that “a very uncertain period lies ahead” for the Vatican’s financial health, even as he reported significant progress in reducing the church’s budget deficit.

The Rev. Juan Antonio Guerrero, prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, said that Pope Francis’ reforms to the Vatican’s financial and investment policies have contributed to the deficit reduction detailed in the 2021 financial statement released Friday (Aug. 5).

The statement includes financial data for 92 entities of the Holy See but omits figures for the Institute for Religious Works, commonly known as the Vatican Bank, and the Governorate of the Vatican City State, which covers its museums, the police and other administrative offices.

Despite cuts to the church bureaucracy known as the Roman Curia, Guerrero said, expenditures continue to grow while revenues dwindle.

“There is no doubt that we cannot act only on expenses by reducing them,” he said. “There will come a time when they cannot be decreased further without compromising the mission, so we are also working on ways to increase revenues.”

In short, said the finance czar, “The pope’s mission is underfunded.”

The Rev. Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves in 2019. Photo by Robert Ballecer, courtesy of Society of Jesus

The Rev. Juan Antonio Guerrero in 2019. Photo by Robert Ballecer, courtesy of Society of Jesus

The Vatican’s deficit, initially estimated to be 33 million euros, fell to slightly more than 3 million euros last year. Assets grew from 2.2 billion to 3.9 billion euros.

“The path taken continues and deepens,” said Guerrero in an interview with Vatican media published on Friday. Guerrero was appointed by Francis in January 2020 to spearhead his efforts to reform the Vatican’s historically troubled finances.

The reduction of the deficit was mainly attributed to a “favorable market trend” and positive exchange rate between dollars and euros, the report stated. “Lower revenues, due to lower donations and contributions, have been compensated by expenses savings and accurate real estate management,” it said.

In recent years the Vatican has faced shrinking donations, and the COVID-19 pandemic diminished its resources. Meanwhile, financial scandals, most prominently one over a controversial London real estate purchase that has resulted in the trial of a top cardinal, have cost the institution millions and inhibited donations from Catholics worldwide, a group whose numbers are already shrinking amid growing secularization.

The London property at the heart of the Vatican financial scandal. Image via Google Maps

Despite positive steps forward, Guerrero pointed out that the Vatican’s revenues depend heavily on market forces, and “when the financial results are not as favorable, as in 2020, an operating deficit emerges.”

The communications department remains the most expensive entity at the Vatican, costing a total of 40 million euros, the report showed. “Message diffusion” was the primary expense of the Holy See (44 million euros), followed by supporting struggling local churches (38 million euros).

SBCV Chinese Fellowship Helps Pastors Connect

Timothy Cockes

August 8, 2022

sbcv_bp — A group of Chinese pastors and their wives meet for fellowship at the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia building. (Submitted photo) Courtesy of Baptist Press.

GLEN ALLEN, Va. (BP) – When pastor Michael Wu first arrived at the SBC of Virginia Annual Homecoming last November, he felt alone.

Wu is the bi-vocational pastor of Roanoke Chinese Fellowship. Although he knew a couple of fellow Chinese pastors around the state, he said he had struggled to connect with Chinese pastors since planting the church in 2008.

Wu said it was also hard for him to connect with other Chinese pastors at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting because it was such a large event. He wondered if he would have the same feeling a couple months later at the SBCV homecoming.

Initially, he thought he might be the only Chinese pastor at the homecoming, but that quickly changed.

Just a few minutes after Wu and his wife walked into the doors at the annual homecoming, another Chinese pastor, Dexu “Andrew” Yuan overheard the couple speaking Mandarin and introduced himself.

Yuan is the pastor and church planter of Agape Chinese Christian Church in Fairfax Station, Va. The pair spent the rest of the day talking and attending breakout sessions.

“It was by God’s grace that all this happened right as we arrived,” Wu said.

Matt Gregory, people groups strategist for the SBCV, saw the two talking and wanted to find a way to connect them beyond the week of homecoming.

The three held a zoom meeting in January, where they talked about how to better connect and minster to Chinese pastors and churches around the SBCV. The group decided to start a monthly zoom call for times of prayer and encouragement.

Wu and Yuan began inviting a couple of ministers to join the meetings, and Gregory invited even more pastors neither of them knew.

Currently there are close to 15 different Chinese-majority congregations represented on the zoom calls.

Though it took some time, Gregory says the meetings are now times of great community and encouragement.

“I told them I ‘want this to be your fellowship,’” he told Baptist Press. “We want them to become a family inside of the SBCV family.

“They have unique and similar issues that they face as Chinese pastors, and it great for them to share ideas and encouragement. There has gradually been this warmness and comfortableness that has developed among them.”

Although there is not an official title or name for this fellowship of Chinese ministers, Gregory said there could be something more official down the line as the group grows.

The SBCV hosted an in-person gathering in July for some of the Chinese pastors and their wives at the SBCV headquarters in Glen Allen, Va.

It was the first time many of the pastors had met each other in-person, and the SBCV covered much of their costs for the visit.

Mealtime Prayer Results in Gospel Conversation, Connects Churches Across Country

Scott Barkley

August 8, 2022

Mealtime-Prayer — Pastor Josh Jennings of Aletheia Church in Sedona, Ariz. delivers a sunset devotional with college students. Known as a popular destination for those with New Age philosophies, Sedona is also fertile ground for those seeking the truth in Christ, he said. Photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

SEDONA, Ariz. (BP) – Bowed heads before their meal on an anniversary trip led a Tennessee couple to an opportunity to share their faith. That encounter, in turn, was followed by a social media call-out for help and success in connecting the new believer to a local church.

On Aug. 2 at 4:08 EDT Jimmy Inman, elder and teaching pastor at True Life Church in Jefferson City, Tenn., received a text from Sarah Tarr, a member of True Life. A server had observed Tarr and her husband, Blake, pray before their meal the night before and the next morning approached them as they began breakfast.

The server told the couple she hadn’t been able to find answers to her questions. Could they tell her a little bit about their faith?

With no shortage of spirituality, Sedona is known as one of the top New Age destinations in the country. Many come in search of vortexes, described on the city’s tourism site as “swirling centers of energy that are conducive to healing, meditation and self-exploration.” The grammatically-correct “vortices” is rarely used, the site notes.

Of course, they would talk with her, the couple responded. The server had a 45-minute break later that morning, which meant the Tarrs’ hike into the surrounding canyons would be pushed into the hotter afternoon hours.

“We decided we’d just drink more water and put more sunscreen on, you know?” said Sarah.

The conversation covered the free gift of grace offered through Christ for sins – even the ones their new friend felt were unforgivable. Blake used a small New Testament he takes for travel.

“I showed her Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23 and Ephesians 2:8-9 and made the point that this is a free gift. We’re saved by grace through faith so that no one can boast. This is something Jesus did for us,” said Blake, who gave her the Bible with those marked passages.

Just minutes before returning to work, she prayed to hand her sins over to Jesus. The Tarrs weren’t finished, though.

“I told her it was really important to have other people around you, who could walk with you,” said Sarah. “You need a support crew.”

That led to the text from Sarah to Inman, who reached out to Jonathan Akin, vice president for Church Relations and campus minister at Carson-Newman University. Robin Inman, Jimmy’s wife, is the associate campus minister at Carson-Newman.

Akin, who chronicled the exchange in a Twitter thread, said he consulted friends in two text groups and they pointed to the same body of believers – Aletheia Church in Sedona.

Aletheia (pronounced a-LAY-thee-uh) is the Greek word for “truth,” Pastor Josh Jennings explained to Baptist Press. In a place like Sedona, many say they are looking for truth. But there is only one source, and it won’t be found in a vortex.

“Jesus said the truth will set you free,” said Jennings. “The word ‘Aletheia’ gets the attention of the spiritualists, but the meaning is what they need to hear.”

A North American Mission Board church plant in 2015, Aletheia is also part of the Pillar Network. In late 2019, leaders of First Baptist Sedona approached Jennings and Aletheia about selling their building to the young congregation. That transition was completed in early 2020.

While the shutdown from Covid negatively impacted many congregations, it came at a time when Aletheia was upgrading the building that once housed First Baptist. Substantial growth has seen progress from a small group before the transfer to the more than 100 in attendance today.

Jennings was on his way out of the church office on Aug. 2 when the phone rang. It was Sarah Tarr, asking to speak to the pastor.

She explained the situation and was soon assured that members of Aletheia would reach out to the new believer. A small group meets near where she lives, and there are several young women who are available as discipleship leaders.

“We don’t want to just place someone in a class,” said Jennings. “We want to connect them with a mature believer who can walk with them.”

Formal partnerships such as the Pillar Network are beneficial, but so are informal ones like what Aletheia and True Life now have, he said. Jennings and Inman didn’t know each other and had never spoken, but across 1,800 miles their churches are together in seeing a new convert grow stronger in the truth.

Alethia is a welcoming congregation that is “serious about the gospel” in a place where false versions of it abound, Jennings noted. That means being a point of truth in the community through means that don’t always deliver instant results.

“We’re in this for the long haul,” he said.

Jennings also credited the Tarrs with taking the extra step after praying with the new believer.

“They took the time to get her connected to the local church. Things would have been incomplete had they not done that. It would have been hard for her to find a church serious about discipleship.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Millennials Adopt Digital Worship, but Not at the Expense of IRL Faith

Kathryn Post

August 8, 2022

RNS) — No small number of millennials was first introduced to personal technology tending to their tamagotchis during recess. Only later did the dot-com revolution, smartphones and social media invade every part of their lives, from relationships to health to music — and faith. Today, meditation podcasts, TikTok sermons and livestreams of Friday (Jumah) prayers are all at everyone’s fingertips.

A study out of Canada suggests that this last generation to experience a smartphone-free childhood is still keeping one foot firmly planted in the real world — at least when it comes to religion.

The study, led by University of Waterloo sociologist Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, found that a sizable minority of millennials in the United States and Canada (32%) turns to digital religious or spiritual activities on at least a monthly basis. But only 5% said they do so without engaging in in-person forms of religion or spirituality once a month or more.

“For the most part, people are both involved in person and supplement that through digital religion,” explained Wilkins-Laflamme.

The findings will comfort faith leaders who worry that technology will displace religiosity, said Pauline Cheong, a professor at Arizona State University who researches religion and communication technologies but wasn’t involved in the Canadian study. “(Digital religion) is not a disruption or huge tear in the social fabric,” said Cheong. “There are a lot of savvy religious users using it to complement existing ties (to religion).”

Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme. Courtesy photo

A millennial herself, Wilkins-Laflamme set out to gauge to what extent her generation, which is less likely to participate in organized religion than previous generations, engages with religion online. She surveyed 2,514 respondents in March 2019. (The study, therefore, does not account for how the pandemic may have changed millennials’ digital habits during a time when many houses of worship went online.)

“The overall takeaway for me was that digital religion is definitely a thing, but it’s a thing that only a chunk of the (millennial) population does,” said Wilkins-Laflamme.

Millennials also participate in digital religion to varying degrees. Wilkins-Laflamme left the definition of digital religion largely up to respondents; it could include anything from using a Bible app to watching a spirituality-themed Instagram reel. Forty-one percent of U.S. respondents reported passively consuming any kind of religious or spiritual digital content at least once a month, while only 32% of U.S. respondents took the time to post about religion or spirituality on social media monthly.

Millennials in Canada, where the population is less religious overall, were active at lower rates, with 29% taking in digital religious content and 17% posting it.

It’s not yet clear whether Gen Z, who are more digitally native than millennials, will engage in real-world religion as much as their elders. Paul McClure, a sociologist who studies religion and technology at the University of Lynchburg, applauded Wilkins-Laflamme’s study but noted that his own research shows that greater Internet use is associated with lower levels of religiosity.

Photo by Nathan Mullet/Unsplash/Creative Commons

Pregnancy Centers Continue To Serve Despite Attacks

Tom Strode

August 8, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP)—Ongoing attacks on pregnancy resource centers and other pro-life organizations have presented security challenges, but they have not thwarted continuing, faith-based efforts to minister to women in need.

A total of 87 attacks against pro-life entities – including 43 pregnancy centers and 32 churches – have been recorded by the Catholic News Agency since the May 2 leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion signaling the reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision. On June 24, the high court released its final ruling that returned the issue to the states by overturning the 1973 opinion that legalized abortion nationwide

In recent attacks, two pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) in Minnesota and two churches in Kansas were vandalized between July 31 and Aug. 2.

Southern Baptist pro-life leader Elizabeth Graham described herself as “deeply grieved by the unnecessary violence that is taking place against organizations whose main goal is to care for women.”

“Violence and hostility against such organizations does not foster a sense of care for anyone,” said Graham, vice president of operations and life initiatives for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). “Such actions may actually hinder the ability of women to receive care and thus endanger the life of the mother and the baby.”

The needs of mothers and other clients were foremost on Kailey Cornett’s mind when Hope Clinic for Women in Nashville was attacked in the early hours of June 30. A Molotov cocktail-type device that failed to ignite was thrown through the front window, and the words “Jane’s Revenge” were spray painted on an outside wall.

“[W]hat’s been most important to me through all of this is that our focus remains on being a safe place for the women that we serve,” said Cornett, Hope Clinic’s chief executive officer.

After the vandalism occurred about 1:30 a.m., “it was real important to me that we get the building back into a shape that we could serve the full day of appointments that we had,” she told Baptist Press. “And amazingly enough, we got the window replaced [and graffiti removed], and we were able to serve women by noon.

“For the women that are walking in for those appointments, they’re not thinking about the politics of the issue,” Cornett said. “They’re not thinking about our building. They’re thinking about their circumstance. . . . [A]nd so what I wanted to make sure was that they could rely on us and can continue to rely on us.

“And I am grateful to say we haven’t had any hindrances” after that morning, she said.

Hope Clinic is one of two recipients of ultrasound machines through the Psalm 139 Project that have been attacked since the leak of the Supreme Court opinion. The Psalm 139 Project is the ERLC’s ministry to help provide ultrasound technology to pregnancy centers and train staff members in its use.

The other Psalm 139 recipient — Agape Pregnancy Resource Center in Des Moines, Iowa – was victimized June 2 in an attack the group Jane’s Revenge took responsibility for. The vandals broke windows and spray painted such messages as “God loves abortions” and “this place is not safe” on the outside walls.

The estimated 2,700 or more PRCs in the United States generally provide pregnancy tests, counseling on options, pregnancy and parenting classes, and material assistance. Many provide ultrasound exams, and some offer other health-care services. Ultrasound technology has proved to be a vital tool for PRCs in their ministry to abortion-minded women. The sonogram images of their unborn children have helped many women choose to give birth.

Wisconsin Megachurch Pastor Stuart Briscoe, Lifelong Broadcast Evangelist, Dies at 91

Riley Farrell

August 8, 2022

(RNS) — Prominent Wisconsin pastor Stuart Briscoe, recognized for founding the broadcast ministry series “Telling the Truth” and authoring over 40 books, died on Aug. 3.

Briscoe died of “natural causes unexpectedly,” according to a Twitter post from his son, Peter “Pete” Briscoe. He was 91.

The British-born Briscoe transformed Elmbrook Church, in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, into a megachurch with an attendance of 7,000 people, making it the largest in the state. But his evangelism went far beyond the congregation to encompass books and a radio ministry.

Briscoe was born in the small town of Millom, Cumbria, just outside England’s Lake District National Park. At 17, he preached his first sermon. Later, he served in the Royal Marines and worked in banking.

He initially worked in international missions at the Capernwray Missionary Fellowship of Torchbearers.

By the 1960s, Briscoe was a youth minister and an admired public speaker for conferences worldwide.

Briscoe and his wife, Jill, immigrated to the United States in 1970 at the request of Elmbrook Church, a then-Baptist church with a membership of 300 people.

The Briscoes spent the next 30 years expanding the non-denominational congregation. Throughout Briscoe’s leadership, Elmbrook flourished enough to plant “daughter” churches in the greater Milwaukee area.

Briscoe stepped down as senior pastor at the end of 2000 but remained involved in the church and active in overseas missions. In 2019, he was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer but was in remission after receiving treatment.

His media ministry, “Telling the Truth,” which he founded in 1971, continues to broadcast online and on the radio. A recent devotional called “Waiting it Out,” hosted by Jill Briscoe, teaches listeners the biblical lesson on acceptance in suffering. Telling the Truth published a dispatch in honor of Briscoe on Aug. 4, calling him a “founder, mentor, teacher and friend.”

“What was important to Stuart was carrying on and finishing strong—saying yes to every appointment God had for him right up to his dying day,” the dispatch read. “And Stuart did just that.”

One of Billy Graham’s contemporaries and friends, Briscoe aimed to “transform lives” in the mutual mission of wide evangelistic communication, forging American Protestantism into what it is today.

Briscoe, whose ministry spanned seven decades, wrote a letter eight years ago, to be published after his death:

“With untold gratitude to the Lord for allowing us to do what has been done and utter confidence that this ministry will carry on doing things God’s way as He continues to bring about surprise after surprise, I move on and look forward to you eventually catching up with me.”

Surviving Briscoe are his wife, three adult children and 13 grandchildren.

Information about a celebration of Briscoe’s life will be announced at a later date, the family said.

This article originally appeared here.

Church Money Gimmicks

James Emery White

August 8, 2022

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word gimmick as “an attention–getting device or feature, typically superficial, designed to promote the success of a product, campaign; any clever little gadget or ruse.”

Churches use money gimmicks all the time. I don’t like them. Not simply because they are “gimmicky,” but because they cheapen biblical stewardship.

The heart of biblical stewardship is not complicated.

There are three principal truths:

God owns it all.
Since God owns it all, He has all the rights as owner, and we operate solely in the realm of managerial responsibility. Therefore, the question is not “God, what should I do with my money?” but rather “God, what do You want me to do with Your money?”
Every spending decision is a spiritual decision. God cannot be shut out of any transaction.

When it comes to giving, the Bible teaches about tithes and offerings. A tithe is 10% of all that we earn, given to God through the local church of which we are a part. Offerings are those gifts that are given above and beyond those tithes in relation to special events, projects or memorials.

The Bible is also full of wisdom on limiting debt, saving for the future, and working hard with our God-given time and talents in order to maximize earning.

The Bible also offers basic application principles, like the 10-10-80 principle where the soundest management of our funds involves giving 10% to God through the local church, 10% to savings and then living off the remaining 80%.

Those new to the Christian faith may have a difficult time adjusting to the 10-10-80 principle, which is why my pastoral advice is always to start where you are. If you come to Christ and have financial realities that war against these plans, you should begin with a blend of realism and faith. Start by giving and/or saving 1% (though even that may be sacrificial), then 5%, working your way up to the percentages that will both fully honor God and optimally serve your life.

God cares more about our heart and intent than a legalistic percentage. The amount matters, to be sure, but only as it reflects a true barometer of our life. Which is why, for many of us, giving 10% is far too little.

(Legalism cuts both ways).

That is the essence of biblical stewardship regarding our finances.

So where do church money “gimmicks” fit in?

They don’t.

But that hasn’t stopped leaders from using them as shortcuts to true discipleship. Here are four of the most common that I’ve witnessed:

Refunding the Tithe

Many churches give in to the gimmick of offering to “refund the tithe” if somehow God doesn’t provide for someone’s needs after they’ve tithed. In other words, the line is, “Tithe, and if God doesn’t supply your needs on the 90% leftover, we’ll return what you gave.”

I get the point. In Malachi, there is a promise that giving will never outrun supply. By employing this gimmick this is the church ponying up and saying they have so much trust in God’s provision, they will “insure” your tithe. But that isn’t discipleship.

Why Christians Should Beware the Trap of Toxic Positivity

Dale Chamberlain

August 8, 2022

I’ve observed a great danger among Christians during moments of tragedy, injustice, and difficulty. It’s something called toxic positivity.

How could being positive be a bad thing? How could something good ever be considered toxic?

But toxic positivity has less to do with having an optimistic outlook on life and more to do with using feigned optimism as an excuse to ignore genuinely negative aspects of life, relationships, the Church, and the community at large.

According to one definition, “toxic positivity can be described as insincere positivity that leads to harm, needless suffering, or misunderstanding.”

For the non-Christian, an attitude of toxic positivity might be marked by phrases like “good vibes only.” But for the Christian, we tend to hide behind bible verses like “Rejoice in the Lord always,” so that we don’t have to experience pain—whether someone else’s or our own.

Toxic positivity perpetuates harm. Here are a few reasons why everyone, but particularly Christians, need to avoid it at all costs.

1. Toxic Positivity Is a Shallow Substitute for Hope.

The main reason toxic positivity is damaging is that it’s a shallow substitute for biblical hope in Jesus. It can serve to hurt others and make them feel disconnected from us when they sense that we are disconnected from reality.

This often comes in the form of trite sayings, said with a plastic smile and dead eyes.

Everything happens for a reason. God is in control.

Everything will be fine. Don’t worry. Jesus tells us not to worry.

Jesus is the answer. We all just have to love him and love each other.

These sayings may very well be true, and the person saying them might have pure intentions. However, for someone experiencing a true moment of crisis, these pat responses delivered with a cheerful grin can be quite jarring. They cause cognitive dissonance and can make people wonder if you’re even listening to them at all.

Sometimes we think we’re conveying a sense of hope and optimism, when really we’re coming off as clueless and tone deaf. Hope and positivity are two very different things.

Hope acknowledges struggle and pain, while pointing to the promises that Jesus has given to us. Positivity simply tries to make the problem go away (or at least to get you to stop talking about it) by saying things that sound nice. And that can be very harmful.

2. Lament Is a Biblical Category We Too Often Ignore.

A common misconception of Christians is that we’re always supposed to be happy and cheerful. Regardless of what you’re feeling, you have to act happy.

Anger, fear, outrage, terror, and sadness are often portrayed as the enemies of faith. But they aren’t. They’re just part of being human. And when we suppress or ignore them, we often end up worse for wear because of it.

Jesus Left Sinful People in Charge of His Church

Ray Hollenbach

August 8, 2022

Jesus had a plan for the church that nearly everyone hates. No, not evangelism. Nope: It’s not social justice, either. It’s not even about reaching the poor. Of course these three are important. You could add to the list and be correct every time, but there’s one thing it seems we universally hate: Jesus left his church—his precious blood-bought bride—in the hands of sinful people.

Jesus Left Sinful People in Charge of His Church

I know. I don’t like it, either. And anyone who says they do are quite likely off their rockers (and definitely unfit for leadership in the church). It’s a heckuva way to run a railroad, but I can’t find any way around it: Jesus poured himself into a dozen men for about three years and then he split. By the time Jesus left, the dozen had atrophied to 11 because one guy betrayed Jesus and then killed himself. Another one of them was given the nickname “Doubting.” Another cursed and swore he had nothing to do with Jesus on the very night the Lord was betrayed. Everyone ran away when Jesus was in need except for a timid teenager who followed from a distance. They were sinful people!

Then the resurrected Jesus dropped by for a bit of last-minute training and left after 40 days. “It’s all yours, guys.” Jesus had a plan to put the church—and the spiritual health of all who would come into her—into the hands of radically flawed people. Listen: I don’t like this any better than you do, but to reject human influence (or yes, even authority) within the church is to avoid the model put in place by the Lord himself.

North American Christians seem to be of two minds about this thing: If we are in authority, or part privileged people within a church, we embrace human authority in the church because it usually stabilizes our well-ordered lives. If we are young, female, people of color or part of any marginalized group, we see human authority structures as the work of mere men. We are both wrong. Jesus set up this arrangement and, sneaky guy that he is, he had his reasons. I intend to ask him about it sometime during eternity. But for now I can speculate (keeping in mind these speculations are the work of a child in the courts of the King):

Four Points About sinful People Leading the Church

Human relationships are built into the fabric of life. Everything of lasting value comes wrapped in flesh: marriage, child rearing, love, friendship, humility, kindness or even the visitation of God himself. Part of the beauty (and danger) of marriage and family is the hard work of living among sinful people. Jesus established something called a “church” and it, too, is mediated through people. Nations, wealth, philosophies and ideologies will all pass away. The permanent things come packaged in weakness and frailty.
Jesus had no illusions about perfect leadership. Peter, Paul and even Barnabas (the “son of encouragement”) all quarreled among themselves. Somehow the work of God progressed. Somehow Jesus expected they would figure it out. To expect perfect leadership is to reject the “system” set in place by the Master.
Human leadership in the church is deadly serious. Acts 5:1-11 terrifies me. Yet we should pause to note that as frightening as those events were, they did not disqualify men from leadership. Those events established leadership. (I don’t like this any more than you do. I’m willing to listen: Do you have a better reading of the passage?)
Human leadership in the church is a dreadful burden on the leaders. I once posted this question on Facebook: “Do you think anyone else is responsible for your spiritual health?” Everyone who responded said no. One comment called the question itself “laughable.” Apparently my Facebook friends had never read Hebrews 13:17. Or this: When Paul described the hardships of his life (2 Corinthians 11) he adds to the list of shipwrecks, beatings and bandits this unexpected phrase: “I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.” At least for this Apostle, leadership was a visceral burden.

And one more speculation: What if communion is about you and me as well as being about Jesus? He said his body and blood were true bread and true drink. The elements of the Eucharist have always represented something beyond themselves. Why should we be surprised if they represent more than we can imagine? Like children at a make-believe tea party, we share bread and wine unaware that fellowship is our true food: fellowship with him, and fellowship among us—who carry the Spirit within.

All this excuses nothing: Sin by church leaders is still sin. Foolishness in the name of God does not represent God. Terrible things have been done in the name of God, but the Father seems to think it’s worth the risk. If he can endure such ugliness (without excusing it), there must be a treasure in there somewhere. I am willing to buy the field in order to find the treasure. Indeed, there seems to be no other way than being lead by sinful people.

This article about sinful people leading the church originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

How Will I Be Able to Enjoy Heaven if My Loved Ones Are in Hell?

Randy Alcorn

August 6, 2022

Many people have lost loved ones who didn’t know Christ. Some people argue that people in Heaven won’t know Hell exists. But this would make Heaven’s joy dependent on ignorance, which is nowhere taught in Scripture.

So, how could we enjoy Heaven and experience happiness and peace knowing or at least believing that it’s probable a loved one is in Hell? J. I. Packer offers an answer that’s difficult but biblical:

God the Father (who now pleads with mankind to accept the reconciliation that Christ’s death secured for all) and God the Son (our appointed Judge, who wept over Jerusalem) will in a final judgment express wrath and administer justice against rebellious humans. God’s holy righteousness will hereby be revealed; God will be doing the right thing, vindicating himself at last against all who have defied him. . . . (Read through Matt. 25; John 5:22-29; Rom. 2:5-16, 12:19; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 18:1-19:3, 20:11-35, and you will see that clearly.) God will judge justly, and all angels, saints, and martyrs will praise him for it. So it seems inescapable that we shall, with them, approve the judgment of persons—rebels—whom we have known and loved.

In Heaven, we will see with a new and far better perspective. We’ll fully concur with God’s judgment on the wicked. The martyrs in Heaven call on God to judge evil people on Earth (Revelation 6:9-11). When God brings judgment on the wicked city of Babylon, the people in Heaven are told, “Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you” (Revelation 18:20).

We’ll never question God’s justice, wondering how He could send good people to Hell. Rather, we’ll be overwhelmed with His grace, marveling at what He did to send bad people to Heaven. (We will no longer have any illusion that fallen people are good without Christ.)

I share some more perspectives in this video:

Here are some additional thoughts:

Hell itself may provide a dark backdrop to God’s shining glory and unfathomable grace. Jonathan Edwards made this case, saying, “When the saints in glory, therefore, shall see the doleful state of the damned, how will this heighten their sense of the blessedness of their own state, so exceedingly different from it.” He added, “They shall see the dreadful miseries of the damned, and consider that they deserved the same misery, and that it was sovereign grace, and nothing else, which made them so much to differ from the damned.”

In Heaven we’ll see clearly that God revealed Himself to each person and that He gave opportunity for each heart or conscience to seek and respond to Him (Romans 1:18-2:16). Those who’ve heard the gospel have a greater opportunity to respond to Christ (Romans 10:13-17), but every unbeliever, through sin, has rejected God and His self-revelation in creation, conscience, or the gospel.

Everyone deserves Hell. No one deserves Heaven. Jesus went to the cross to offer salvation to all (1 John 2:2). God is absolutely sovereign and doesn’t desire any to perish (1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9). Yet many will perish in their unbelief (Matthew 7:13).

We’ll embrace God’s holiness and justice. We’ll praise Him for His goodness and grace. God will be our source of joy. Hell’s small and distant shadow will not interfere with God’s greatness or our joy in Him. (As I shared in the video, all of this should motivate us to share the gospel of Christ with family, friends, neighbors, and the whole world.)

Although it will inevitably sound harsh, I offer this thought: in a sense, none of our loved ones will be in Hell—only some whom we once loved. Our love for our companions in Heaven will be directly linked to God, the central object of our love. We will see Him in them. We will not love those in Hell because when we see Jesus as He is, we will love only—and will only want to love—whoever and whatever pleases and glorifies and reflects him. What we loved in those who died without Christ was God’s beauty we once saw in them. When God forever withdraws from them, I think they’ll no longer bear His image and no longer reflect His beauty. Although they will be the same people, without God they’ll be stripped of all the qualities we loved. Therefore, paradoxically, in a sense they will not be the people we loved.

I cannot prove biblically what I’ve just stated, but I think it rings true, even if the thought is horrifying.

Not only in Heaven but also while we are still here on Earth, our God is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Any sorrows that plague us now will disappear on the New Earth as surely as darkness disappears when the light is turned on. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain” (Revelation 21:4, ESV).

For those who have already lost a loved one who seemingly never accepted Christ: what might help on this—and I have reassured myself about this many times—is to realize that we do not know what happens inside a person before they die. We don’t know whether the Holy Spirit of God has done a work of grace in someone’s heart and life at the last moment. They may have been aware of the hours, minutes, and even just seconds leading up to their death and cried out to God for deliverance. The thief on the cross proves that “deathbed conversion” is certainly possible. And if someone is unable to speak, or too weak to respond, those around them would not know of that conversion. We may be surprised and delighted to one day see them in the presence of Christ.

Now, that should not be a false assurance for us say to ourselves about our still living unbelieving loved ones, “Then it doesn’t really matter whether I share the gospel with them, because maybe God will do a miracle in their lives shortly before they die.” Of course not—we should do everything we can to bring them the truth. But once someone has died, I think it’s appropriate to say, “I don’t know. Maybe they did come to faith in Christ, and if so, one day I will see them in God’s Kingdom.”

Of this we may be absolutely certain: Hell will have no power over Heaven; none of Hell’s misery will ever veto any of Heaven’s joy.

This article originally appeared here.

Andy Stanley: Some of Us Have Fallen for One of the Temptations Satan Offered Jesus

Jessica Mouser

August 5, 2022

Some American Christians have bought into one of the very temptations Satan presented to Jesus, said pastor and author Andy Stanley at the Global Leadership Summit Friday afternoon. Stanley shared that he deeply loves the United States, but is troubled by behaviors he has seen from certain believers and church leaders over the past few years.

“The reason that I love my nation, but it’s not my ultimate allegiance,” said Stanley, “is that years ago, like many of you, I swore allegiance to a king…A king who came to establish an upside-down, others-first, go-to-the-back-of-the-line kingdom.”

This king, said Stanley, “consistently rejected the tools, slogans, posture, tone and approach of the kingdoms of this world.” Yet many who claim to follow Jesus seem to have missed what following him means. In fact, said the pastor, “One of the temptations of Jesus was Satan offered him the very thing that unfortunately has become so important to too many people in the church.”

Andy Stanley: Let’s Be Christian

Andy Stanley is the founder and pastor of Atlanta-based North Point Ministries and the author of “Not in It to Win It: Why Choosing Sides Sidelines the Church.”

Stanley began his talk by emphasizing that he loves the U.S. “I’m so patriotic,” he said. “I cry when the national anthem is sung.” The pastor also encourages his people to vote, saying they should vote according to their “law-of-Christ-informed conscience.”

“Be involved in local politics, be involved in national politics,” he said. “I’m 100% for that.” But, he added, “When I die, I will not go to Washington D.C. At least I hope not.”

Yet even though Jesus did not come to win “as we define winning,” somehow many Christians seem to think it is essential to be the winners in American culture. This mindset is entirely opposed to the one Jesus displayed when Satan tempted him in the wilderness, Stanley argued. Luke 4:5-8 says:

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

Jesus refused Satan’s offer because he had come to launch an entirely different kind of kingdom from the kingdoms of the world, said Stanley. He was a king who came not to win, but to “lose on purpose with a purpose, and then he said to you and he said to me, ‘Follow me.’”

Admittedly, Jesus’ purpose was and is not an easy one to grasp, Stanley said, pointing to the difficulty that Jesus’ own disciples had with understanding why he came. Some were focused on having positions of authority in Jesus’ kingdom. Peter, who notably cut a man’s ear off when Jesus was arrested, did not understand his savior’s purpose until after Jesus was resurrected. In fact, said Stanley, the moment Jesus was arrested, “all of Jesus’ followers, unfollowed.”

God Allows Women To Choose Abortion, Says Whoopi Goldberg on ‘The View’; Elisabeth Hasselbeck Pushes Back

Stephanie Martin

August 5, 2022

elisabeth hasselbeck — Screenshot from Twitter / @NickFondacaro

During a discussion about this week’s abortion vote in Kansas, co-hosts of ABC’s “The View” sparred Wednesday about faith’s role in the issue. Former co-host and outspoken Christian Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who returned to mark the show’s 25^th anniversary, challenged several statements by longtime host Whoopi Goldberg, an abortion-rights supporter.

To defend her stance, Goldberg said God gave women “freedom of choice” and “made us smart enough to know when it wasn’t going to work for us.” Citing the Golden Rule—“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”—the 66-year-old actress added she “will not make that [abortion] decision for anybody” or judge what someone chooses to do with her body.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Abortion Alternatives Exist

Hasselbeck, who co-hosted “Fox & Friends” for two years after a decade as the conservative voice on “The View,” challenged those comments. “What about life in the womb?” she asked Goldberg.

Hasselbeck, a 45-year-old mother of three, also spoke about the many options besides abortion. “There are thousands of agencies that wrap around women that might not be able to care for the baby once born or may not want the baby when they’re pregnant or maybe it was unexpected and they’re in a hard situation, but that will come around at no cost and wrap around you,” she said.

“And I might not change your minds, but I hope women out there know to look for the nonprofits, look for the agencies that help you create a birth plan and match you with an adoptive family who may have suffered miscarriage after miscarriage who want to care for the baby.”

Speaking about her faith, Hasselbeck added, “I believe our Creator assigns value to life and that those lives have plan and purpose over them, as designed by God, that are not limited to the circumstances of conception, nor the situations they’re born into.”

Though Goldberg admitted her own relationship with God is “always choppy,” she told Hasselbeck, “I also know that God made me smart enough to know that if there are alternatives out there that can work for me, I will investigate them.”

Whoopi Goldberg: ‘View’ Co-Hosts Are All ‘Pro-Life’

Joining the conversation, co-host Joy Behar claimed the adoption system is overwhelmed. “There are 117,000 children waiting to be adopted right now,” she said, “so it’s not such a snap thing, ‘I’ll have the baby and it will be put up for adoption.’”

John Schnatter’s Interview at Dallas CPAC

Stein Captures Himself Harassing Vice Reporter on Video

Alex Jones Says He’s Being ‘Silenced’

Refunding the Tithe

1. Toxic Positivity Is a Shallow Substitute for Hope.

2. Lament Is a Biblical Category We Too Often Ignore.

Jesus Left Sinful People in Charge of His Church

Four Points About sinful People Leading the Church

Andy Stanley: Let’s Be Christian

Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Abortion Alternatives Exist

Whoopi Goldberg: ‘View’ Co-Hosts Are All ‘Pro-Life’

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